Objective To acquire drinking water exposure parameters and provide basic data for assessing the exposure of waterborne pollutants and health risk in Wuxi.

Method The drinking water relevant situation of adult residents over the age of 18 in three districts of Wuxi city was selected by stratified cluster sampling by random in August and December of 2015, and the drinking water exposure parameters were investigated by using self-administered questionnaire method.

Results The drinking water of residents in Wuxi was mainly from boiled tap water. The median of average daily water intake was 1 510 mL. The daily water intake in summer (1 685 mL) was more than that in winter (1 355 mL). The average daily water intake in male (1 658 mL) was more than that in female (1 373 mL). The average daily water intake of residents among different age groups was different statistically (H=27.329, P=0.000), which was the highest in ≥ 65 year group (1 649 mL) and the lowest in(18~24) year group (1 357 mL). There was a significant difference on the average daily water consumption between obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m²) (1 721 mL) and underweight people (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²) (1 256 mL). The average daily water contact time of residents was 40.8 min in Wuxi, which was significantly higher in summer (45.9 min) than that in winter (37.4 min) and was significantly higher in female (54.8min) than that in male (31.4 min). The average daily water contact time in ≥ 65 year group was the highest (68.6 min) in different age groups.

Conclusion The daily water intake and water contact time in Wuxi was affected by multiple factors, while in the assessment of exposure to pollutants and health risks, the drinking water exposure parameters under each condition should be considered.